Hurricane Sandy Federal Grants

When a disaster is deemed to be too big and serious for a state government to
effectively respond to it, the president may make a major disaster declaration. Such a
declaration allows the federal government to get involved in the disaster’s response and
recovery efforts. A recent example of such involvement was the federal government’s
involvement in the recovery efforts after Hurricane Sandy hit many parts of America’s east
coast in 2012. The involvement was through, among others, provision of Public Assistance,
and Individual and Household program grants.
Both the Public Assistance, and Individual and Household program grants were
distributed through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Public
Assistance Program grant was given to the local governments (Kousky & Shabman, 2013).
The funds were used for repairing roads and bridges, removing debris, and putting in place
emergency protective measures. They were also used to invest in equipment and buildings
that aided various key utilities.
Unlike the Public Assistance Program grants which were given to local governments,
the Individual and Household Program grants were provided to individuals that had been
affected by the hurricane. The money was to be used for immediate household assistance.
Such assistance included repairing or rebuilding houses that had been damaged by the
hurricane or putting up temporary houses for individuals whose houses had been completely
destroyed by the hurricane (Kousky & Shabman, 2013). The grants were also used for other
needs assistance, such as funeral expenses, transportation expenses, replacing personal
property, and covering of medical costs.
The Public Assistance, and Individual and Household Program grants were provided
in a timely manner. However, they were not adequate. The assistance was capped at $31,400

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per household or person (Kousky & Shabman, 2013). In reality though, few individuals
received this amount of money. On average, individuals received just a few thousand dollars
which were not adequate to meet their needs resulting from the disaster.

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References

Kousky, C. & Shabman, L. (2013). A New Era of Disaster Aid? Reflections on the Sandy
Supplement. Resources for the Future.